DIKE – In a packed room of more than 40 people, a meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a new fire station in Dike received a predominantly positive reaction from residents, who came to learn more about the specifics, cost and impact of the new building on Monday night.

Merlyn Petersen, a resident of Dike who was present at the meeting, says he thinks the new fire station will be a good thing for the community.

“I’m in favor of [getting a new fire station]. There’s no doubt about that,” Petersen said. “We’re overdue for a new station; the old one has served its purpose. Our community has grown quite a bit, and the department has even more people to serve.”

The old station, which was built in the 1950s, is not only too small for the needs of a modern department and modern equipment, but it has maintenance issues including a bad roof, crumbling foundation and block walls and a rotting sill plate.

The new station, which would be located on a plot of city-owned land on the northwest edge of town, will span roughly 13,000 square feet and will not only provide enough space for the department to house all of their vehicles and equipment in one convenient spot (the current station is too small to house all the vehicles Citizens show support for Dike fire station project and equipment, so the department has to keep some property at another facility), but it will also house a meeting/training room, an office, a kitchen and bathrooms with showers.

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